“Talking about music through the prism of quantum physics and theoretical physics has given me the keys to the vast universe, which we'll never be able to completely explore and find the answers to,” Harrison says. Harrison doesn’t have a background in science, but he says learning more about quantum physics helps him think like a scientist. “I think it's a wellspring for researchers like myself and other scientists to sort of delve deeper into the hidden codes in there,” he says. “Genius, not just only on a musical level, but also, he was playing quantum physics.” “It really starts with Charlie Parker and his genius,” Alexander says. The result became its own artistic form - bebop.įor Alexander, Parker’s musical achievement is hard to overstate. Parker’s cosmic improvisations riffed on the popular songs of the day.
Charlie Parker heard them, and he took all those sounds and came up with his sound.”
“Of course, all the great saxophonists (were) there.
“ Count Basie told me how that sound in Kansas City developed,” Harrison remembers. When Harrison was 19, another Kansas City legend pulled him aside after a concert in Chicago. “I am a student of Bird every day, all day, because his music is like the universe is: infinite,” Harrison says “He's a lifetime of study that you can never finish because he did so much.” When Harrison was a young musician, he sought out every older player he could find who had worked with Parker. As it turned out, the two have a lot in common - including an obsession with Charlie Parker, known in the jazz world as "Bird." Harrison, who is known for his improvisational style, had just recorded a song called “Quantum Leap,” and he turned to Alexander for feedback. In 2012, Alexander met National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison, a New Orleans sax player and big chief of the Congo Square Nation Afro-New Orleans Cultural Group. There were even stumbling and making mistakes. “What they were doing looked very much like what scientists would do in a lab," Alexander says. Kansas City local Clint Ashlock - artistic director and conductor of the esteemed Kansas City Jazz Orchestra - also helms a jazz quintet.Īnd another must-see act is Jazz Disciples, a quartet featuring saxophonist Gerald Dunn, pianist Everett Freeman, drummer Michael Warren and bassist DeAndre Manning.LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC University Libraries Charlie Parker performing in Los Angeles in the 1940s. You’ll find fresh faces like Delynia Jannell at early evening Indigo Hour sessions. Take time to explore the museum, grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant in the district and slip into the club for evening entertainment.Ĭheck the Blue Room's calendar for current listings. The club is named after a famed 1930s hotel club that once held court in the district. The Blue Room, part of the American Jazz Museum in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, brings Kansas City’s storied jazz past to the present. Here you’ll find luminaries such as pianist Tim Whitmer’s Quartet with Jim Mair, the Matt Villinger Trio and the Leslie McLean Trio. Trios of artists abound here, led by Danny Embry, Rod Fleeman, Ken Lovern, Jeff Shirley, Tyrone Clark and more.īlack Dolphin - a club with the same owner-operator located next to Green Lady Lounge - also packs in guests for evening and late-night sessions.
Stylish attire isn't required, but musicians and staff are dressed to the nines - making guests feel snazzier as they sip on cocktails and sit mere feet away from the action on stage.ĭon't miss the Orion Room, a downstairs hideaway with a grand piano and drum kit, where other musicians perform on a second stage. The dark, cozy lounge provides an intimate space to see, hear and experience jazz from both established and up-and-coming artists.Īrrive early to secure a seat, especially on weekends, as many late sessions attract a standing-room-only crowd. If you're looking for a hip, happening spot to catch evening and late-night jazz sessions, head to Green Lady Lounge in the Crossroads. Twitter Green Lady Lounge in the Crossroads District provides an intimate space to see, hear and experience late-night jazz sessions.
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